Minnow net



March 26, 1940. R. SKRJANC ET AL" MINNOW NET Filed Oct. 6, 1937 u INVENTORS fiaaa; PH .SK/PJHNC BY CARMEN K Wee/(Err mt STATES PATENT OFFICE MINNOW Rudolph Skrjanc and Carmen K. Varkett,

I I Cleveland,l0hio Application October 6,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in minnow nets, particularly minnow nets of the umbrella type, and to a novelmethod of matching minnows wherein a net of this general character is employed.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a minnow net which may be thrown or hurled, like a spear or harpoon, a considerable distance from the user whenever a school of minnowsis observed to be passing, opened by the reaction of the water, and pulled through the water by a rope attached to the shaft of the net.

Another object is the provision of means to prevent the complete collapse of the net frame, so that the ribs of the frame will always be in an ofl-centerposition, insuring the prompt opening of the net in the water. 1

Other objects and features of novelty will appear as we proceedwith the description of that embodiment of the'inventi'on which, for the pur poses of the present application, we have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the net in the open or operative position such as it assumes when being drawn through the water.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the net in condition to be thrown by the operator, the frame being in an approximatelycollapsed condition.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View on a larger scale with parts broken away, showing the frame of the net in the operative or open position.

In the drawing we have illustrated at If] what may be termed the shaft of the net. It is formed preferably of a length of steel tubing in order to provide a maximum strength-weight ratio. Near the tip end I I of the shaft we mount a small spider I2 which is held against movement by some suitable means, as for example by a pin I3 projected through the hub of the through the shaft I0. 1

Spider I2 carries a series of radial arms I4 bifurcated at their extremities. In the bifurcations there are pivoted at I4 the inner extremities of ribs I5 that are preferably formed of flat bar steel so as to have considerable strength in the longer one of their cross sectional dimensions. It is a slide which may be made substantially identical with the spider I2, but has a bore through its hub of a diameter such that the slide moves easily along the shaft. The radial arms I! of the slide have pivotal connections II in their bifurcated ends supporting the inner extremities of braces l8, which may be of the same cross section as the ribs I5. The outer end of each brace I8 is connected by a pivot I9 with an spider and 1937, Serial No. 167,586 (01. 43- -12 intermediate point of the corresponding rib I5.

The handle end of the shaft Ill is drilled to receive a metal ring 20 which has a double func tion, that is it serves as a means for the attachment of a rope 2| and also as a stop for limiting the movement of slide It, as indicated in Fig. 2.

We employ a netting 22 of suitable mesh which, at acentral point, is perforated and bound around 1 a metal ring 23 of a size to provide a fairly-snug fit upon the shaft II]. In the present. case we use four ribs and four braces, but a different number may, of course, be employed ifdesired. Where four sets of ribs and braces are used the netting is square and at each corner it is secured 15 by cords 24 to a rib I5, the latter being perforated at 25 so as to facilitate this connection. The cords 24 may extend all the way between ribs andmay pass through hems in thenetting in order to reinforce the latter at its edges.

At 26 we have shown a screw extending through a threaded hole in the hub of slide It and adapted to engage shaft III. In the ordinary use of thenet this screw is loosened so as to leave the slide entirely free to move upon the 25 shaft. Nothing is required to hold the net in expanded condition while being drawn through the water. The screw 26 is useful however to hold the frame members and the net expanded or in open position when the net is being dried. At 30 such times the slide I6 ispushed toward the spider I2 as far as it will go, and then the screw 26 is tightened down to hold the parts in this relation, the netting then being in a stretched condition which is best suited for drying.

The method of operating the net is different from that of any device of this kind previously ofiered for fishermens use. The frame of the net is collapsed to the condition illustrated in Fig. 2, in which condition the ribs I5 stand at an 40 angle with respect to the braces I 8. In other words the pivot points I9 remain outside of the center lines through the corresponding pivots l4 and II. This is an important feature of the invention for the reason that it insures the open ing of the net when a pulling force is exerted upon the spider I2. If the pivot points I9 were permitted to come into direct alignment with the I pivots I4 and II the ribs and braces would be in a deadcenter position, and force exerted upon the spider I2 would have little or no tendency to open thenet.

With the frame of the net in the approximately collapsed condition shown inFig. .2, the rope 2|, which is of a length at least equal to the maximum distance to which the net may be thrown, is coiled up and held in the left hand of the operator, the free extremity of the rope being preferably tied to his wrist. The operator then grasps the net with his right hand, the fingers encircling the handle end of the shaft and the folds of the netting surrounding it, and throws it tip first in the direction desired. When the not has struck the water the operator pulls on the end of the rope then in his hands. The first effect of such pull is to cause the reaction of the water against the netting to exert force on the ends of the ribs tending to hold them back while the,

spider l 2 is pulled forward by the operator. The next effect is of course to pull the net through the water, although strictly speaking these two effects take place simultaneously during the first part of the pull.- As the open net is pulled along through the water the netting is stretched more or less tightly, depending upon the force exerted by the operator, but there is always enough bowing of the netting to prevent, the

escape of minnows that are once taken within the net.

Variations from the described structure may be employed. Accordingly, we desire it to be understood that the scope of the invention is to be regarded as defined exclusively by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description or the accompanying illustration.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a minnow net of the umbrella type, a shaft, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected with the shaft near the tip thereof, a corresponding number of braces pivotally connected at one end with the ribs intermediate the length of the latter, a slide on the shaft with which the other ends of the braces are pivotally connected, at stop on the handle positioned to engage said slide at a point such that the pivotal connectionbetween each rib and brace remains outside of the line of centers of the other two pivotal connections named when the net is collapsed, and a piece of netting having a central opening receiving the tip of the shaft, said netting being attached at perimetrical points to the outer ends of said ribs.

2. In a minnow net of the umbrella type, a shaft, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected with the shaft near the tip thereof, a corresponding number of braces pivotally connected at one end with the ribs at points more than half-way from the inner ends of the latter, a slide on the shaft with which the other ends of the braces are pivotally connected, a stop on the shaft at a point such that when it is engaged by the slide the pivotal connection between each rib and brace remains outside of the line of centers of the inner pivotal connections of the rib and brace preventing complete collapse of the frame, a piece of netting having a central opening re ceiving the tip of the shaft, said netting being attached at perimetrical points to the outer ends of said ribs,'and a rope secured to the shaft at the inner end thereof, said rope being of a length suficient to enable the operator to hold the free end thereof when the net is thrown out over the water.

3. In a minnow net of the umbrella type, a shaft, a plurality of ribs pivotally connected with the shaft near the tip thereof, a corresponding number of braces each pivotally connected at one end with a rib intermediate the length of the latter, a slide on the shaft with which the other ends of the braces are pivotally connected, means on the shaft for holding the-pivotal connection between each rib and brace'outside the line of centers of the other two pivotal connections for that rib and brace whenthe net is collapsed, and a rope attached to the outer end of said shaft.

RUDOLPH SKRJANC. CARMEN K. VARKETT. 

